Grimm-Donovan congressional debate gets ugly

NEW YORK (FOX5NY.COM) - During a GOP campaign debate on Monday, U.S. Rep. Dan Donovan wasted no time attacking his challenger Michael Grimm's criminal conviction for felony tax fraud.

"I was a prosecutor for 20 years," Donovan said. "I put people like him in prison."

That conviction forced Grimm from the congressional seat Donovan now occupies. The district covers all of Staten Island and a part of Brooklyn.

"I think everyone knows that I had three delivery boys and a dishwasher off the books and I have never hidden that," Grimm said. "It was a civil offense that the Obama Justice Department that is politically corrupt used against me."

Grimm served seven months in prison after his guilty plea got the 19 other charges against him dropped. But while his talk of a political witch hunt may remind Republican voters of President Trump's attacks on the Russia investigation, Donovan has the president's endorsement.

"He compared my opponent to Roy Moore," Donovan said. "He not only said to vote for me, but he told the people of our community, 'Don't vote for him.'"

On issue after issue, these two very different Republicans fought to position closer to the president, from health care to immigration to taxes.

But after the debate, Grimm, who leads Donovan by 10 points in the latest poll, said he doesn't blame Trump over the endorsement.

"Because it's the establishment," Grimm said. "How can President Trump go against the House where he needs those incumbents to vote for him to pass his agenda?"

After that study of contrasts, the two candidates now have just over two weeks to convince Republican voters to turn out for them on the June 26 primary, which might also turn out to be a referendum on Trump's endorsement and whether it truly matters.